Update, 11 p.m.: Much of Palm Beach is without power, according to the town’s 11 p.m. alert. FPL is responsible for getting power restored and will work quickly to do so, but please anticipate delays as millions of customers statewide are affected by this storm.

Restoration of power will be the biggest challenge ahead of us in the coming days, the town said.The town reports that winds have diminished since their peak around 6:30 p.m. and are now blowing from the south southeast at 47 mph. Winds will continue to decrease overnight and will be approximately 25 mph by 6 a.m.

Update, 6 p.m.: Down trees are now widespread on Palm Beach, and there are extensive power outages, according to Deputy Town Manager Jay Boodheshwar.

“It’s highly likely much of the North End is without power because of the dense vegetation around the power lines,” he said.

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All pump stations are online and working well. No reports of flooding have been reported. Between 6-8 inches of additional rain is expected before the storm clears. An estimated 6-8 inches of rain already has fallen. But the town said in its alert that major issues with flooding are not anticipated.

Update, 3 p.m.: Boodheshwar said a utility pole fire occurred around 2 p.m. today near the Palm Beach Synagogue. FPL was able to de-energize two main lines to put the fire out, he said, but 727 homes lost power as a result.

He said more debris is being seen around town as the winds have picked up, but he had no reports of significant flooding so far.

Update, 12:30 p.m.: With the 11 a.m. forecast, the town sent out an alert that tropical storm force winds have arrived in Palm Beach and hurricane conditions are possible throughout the day today. Hurricane Irma is currently a Category 4 storm.

The alert said: “Forecast models all seem to agree that the storm will continue to move north, which means we will be on the side of the storm with the strongest wind and greatest chance for tornadoes.”

Update, 10:40 a.m.: Mayor Gail Coniglio said this morning: "If the storm had come to us with the intensity that was projected I'm not sure any preparations would have protected us."

She is staying with friends in West Palm Beach and is hearing from residents calling and texting looking for information about what is going on. Coniglio said as soon as the storm passes, town leaders will assess the damage and power outages. "Then we can determine when it is safe to return and what the approach will be,” she said.

Update, 9:30 a.m.: Storm driven surf is taking a toll on the beaches already, said Paul Brazil, director of Public Works. "We are seeing beach erosion but it at this point we can't assess the extent of it," he said. Brazil drove the island twice this morning and found damage minimal at that point.

Original story:

Palm Beach is starting to feel the effects of Hurricane Irma.

“We have some power outages already in Palm Beach, but I don’t know how widespread it is,” said Deputy Town Manager Jay Boodheshwar.

Water from the Intracoastal Waterway crashes over the seawall along Flagler Drivein West Palm Beach Sunday afternoon, September 10, 2017 as winds from Hurricane Irma rake the county. (Lannis Waters / The Palm Beach Post)

Water from the Intracoastal Waterway crashes over the seawall along Flagler Drivein West Palm Beach Sunday afternoon, September 10, 2017 as ... read more

He and Town Manager Tom Bradford are at Town Hall where there is backup generator. They are awaiting countywide government conference call at 10 a.m., followed by town directors/executive team conference call at 10:30 a.m.

“We have fared well so far,” said Public Safety Director Kirk Blouin. “There have been some trees down blocking the road, but those were cut up and have been moved.”

No flooding of any significance so far, he said.

“The next few hours will probably be the worst of it. I expect the damage to be very little. Then we are going to have a power outage situation to deal with,” Blouin said.

Police have turned some people away at the checkpoints at the entry points to the town.

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